Presses



Oct. 12, 1965 J. H. BEARD 3,210,985

PRESSES Filed Aug. 1, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTQQ Jh, Beard Oct. 12, 1965 Filed Aug. 1, 1965 J. H. BE'ARD 3,210,985

PRESSES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 J h. Beard BYMM z/W ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1965 J. H. BEARD 3,210,985

PRESSES Filed Aug. 1, 1963 s Sheets-Sheet 3 "BER \NvEN-roR J/f Beard ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,210,985 PRESSES Jack Herbert Beard, Sheflield, England, assignor to Davy and United Engineering Company Limited, Sheifield, England Filed Aug. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 299,292 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Aug. 23, 1962, 2,429/62 5 Claims. (Cl. 72-462) This invention relates to presses and in particular to forging presses having transverse tool slides. In the past, forging presses, whether of the four-or two-column type, have had the transverse tool slides arranged so as to pass between the press columns, in order that the selected tool may be brought above the anvil and below the moving crosshead. For four-column presses, the line of the tool slide has been at right angles to the line of the anvil slide, while, in two-column presses, it has been proposed that the angle between the two slides should be less than 90.

The previous arrangements of the tool for four-column presses have had two disadvantages: firsely, the provision of a hacker manipulator, i.e. a manipulator for carrying auxiliary tools, has not been possible, since such a manipulator must be movable to the press centre line, and all available positions were occupied by the tool slide and the anvil slide. Secondly, the number of tools that can be carried by the tool slide is limited by the need to have the control desk, at which the press operator is located, as near as possible to the press and preferably on a centre line of the press. The control desk is located on the line of the tool slide, and therefore limits the available movement of the press tool train and hence the number of tools carried by it.

In the case of the previous two-column presses, the number of tools that can be carried by the tool slide is not limited as in the case of the four-column press, but the operators line of vision is obscured by the tools on the slide.

In accordance with one aspect the present invention provides a press having a tool slide along a line adjacent to but not passing between the press columns and an anvil slide along a line passing between the press columns and intersecting the tool slide line, the arrangement being such that the anvil can receive a selected tool from the tool slide and transport the tool to the press. The arrangement of the tool carrier away from the press permits the operator to have an unobscured view of the press and enables a hacker manipulator to be located on the side of the press opposite to the location of the operators control desk. At the same time, the number of tools that can be carried by the tool slide is not limited by the presence of the control desk in the path of the tool slide and furthermore, the tool slide itself is not susceptible to choking with scale from the work being pressed.

The invention will be more readily understood by way of example from the following description of a tool carrier for a forging press, reference being made to the drawings accompanying the provisional specification in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the press and tool slide,

FIGURE 2 is a view of the press from one side with the tool change gear extension removed, the tool slide being shown in cross section,

FIGURE 3 is a front view of the press with the anvil sliding gear extension removed.

Although, in the drawings, the press 12 is illustrated as having four columns 13, the press might equally well be of the two-column type.

As indicated in FIGURE 1, the tool slide is arranged outside the area of the press 12, being disposed to the rear of the press and parallel to the press centre line.

The tool slide consists of a stationary slide plate 14, in which there is a central lengthwise slot in which is received a drag bar 15 located on a separate slide plate 15a. The drag bar 15 is attached to a cross head 16, and is moved in its slot, as required, by a hydraulic ram (not shown). The drag bar has a series of soles 17 for the reception of drop pins (not shown). A second series of holes 17a in the drag bar 15 enable the drag bar to be pinned to the crosshead 16 at any of a number of spaced points; the drag bar 15 can then be moved through a distance greater than the stroke of the hydraulic ram by re.- ciprocating the latter and re-pinning the drag bar after each reciprocation.

The anvil slide which, as shown in FIGURE 1, passes from front to rear of the press and between the columns 13, at right angles to the tool slide, consists of an anvil plate 18, and which is arranged slidably between guides 20. The anvil plate 18 is attached to a hydraulic ram 21 so that the plate 18 can be moved as required between its guides 20. The anvil plate 18 is additionally provided with a transverse groove, into which is secured a length of slide plate 14 and a groove for the drag bar 15; this length of tool slide plate carried by the anvil plate 18 is arranged to form a continuation of the slide plate 14 of the tool slide, where it is broken in order to accommodate the anvil slide.

To effect a press tool change, the anvil plate 18 carrying the tool, in the press is moved by the ram 21 t0 the position shown in FIGURE 1, i.e. with its anvil plate aligned with the slide plate 14 of the tool slide. The remaining tools for the press are already located on the tool slide. The drag bar is then moved into position under all the tools and the tools, including that removed from the press, are coupled to the drag bar 15 by means of the drop pins located in the holes 17. The hydraulic ram 16 is next operated to move the drag bar 15 lengthwise in order to bring the selected tool in alignment with the anvil plate. The drop pins holding all the tools to the drag bar 14 are removed and the drag bar is moved in order to bring it clear of the anvil plate 18. Next, the anvil plate 18 is moved forwardly by the ram 21 to bring the selected tool, carried by the plate 18, to the centre line of the press 12.

Because the tool slide does not pass between the columns 13 of the press, the control desk 23 can be located adjacent the press 12, without limiting the number of tools carried by the tool slide. Also, a hacker manipulator can be located at the side of the press 12 remote from the control desk 23. For the same reason, the tool slide is relatively free from scale from the work being pressed, and is therefore less susceptible to becoming choked than previous arrangements.

It will be appreciated that a press in accordance with the invention may include two tool slides, arranged one at the front and one at the rear of the press, thus providing accommodation for two tool trains and doubling the number of tools available for use in the press.

I claim:

1. A forging press having press columns, an anvil slide comprising an anvil slide plate movable along a line passing between the press columns, a tool slide extending along a line adjacent to but not passing between the press columns and intersecting the anvil slide, the tool slide including a tool slide plate arranged to support a plurality of tools on either side of the anvil slide and a drag bar longitudinally slidable relative to the tool slide plate and arranged to be detachably secured to tools on the tool slide plate to move said tools in either direction therealong, the tool slide plate being interrupted where it intersects the anvil slide to receive the anvil slide, and the anvil slide plate having a portion defining a transverse slot in which the drag bar is receivable and formed to act as a segment of said tool slide when aligned therewith, and means for moving the anvil slide plate between a tool receiving position in which said slot is aligned with the drag bar to receive a selected tool from the tool slide and a position in which it supports the selected tool between the press columns.

2. A press according to claim 1 comprising a crosshead movable along the tool slide line and means for coupling said crosshead to the drag bar in any one of a plurality of relative positions.

3. A press according to claim 2 in which the drag bar defines a first series of holes for receiving pins connecting it to the crosshead, said pins being spaced longitudinally of said drag bar so that it can be connected to said crosshead at any of a plurality of spaced points.

4. A press according to claim 3 in which the drag bar References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 7/39 Germany. 1/61 Great Britain.

CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Examiner. 

1. A FORGING PRESS HAVING PRESS COLUMNS, AN ANVIL SLIDE COMPRISING AN ANVIL SLIDE PLATE MOVABLE ALONG A LINE PASSING BETWEEN THE PRESS COLUMNS, A TOOL SLIDE EXTENDING ALONG A LINE ADJACENT TO BUT NOT PASSING BETWEEN THE PRESS COLUMNS AND INTERSECTING THE ANVIL SLIDE, THE TOOL SLIDE INCLUDING A TOOL SLIDE PALTE ARRANGED TO SUPPORT A PLURALITY OF TOOLS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ANVIL SLIDE AND A DRAG BAR LONGITUDINALLY SLIDABLE RELATIVE TO THE TOOL SLIDE PLATE ANDARRANGED TO BE DETACHABLY SECURED TO TOOLS ON THE TOOL SLIDE PLATE TO MOVE SAID TOOLS IN EITHER DIRECTION THEREALONG, THE TOOL SLIDE PLATE BEING INTERRUPTED WHERE IT INTERSECTS THE ANVIL SLIDE TO RECEIVE THE ANVIL SLIDE, AND THE ANVIL SLIDE PLATE HAVING A PORTION DEFINING A TRANSVERSE SLOT IN WHICH THE DRAG BAR IS RECEIVABLE AND FORMED TO ACT AS A SEGMENT OF SAID TOOL SLIDE WHEN ALIGNED THEREWITH, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE ANVIL SLIDE PLATE BETWEEN A TOOL RECEIVING POSITION IN WHICH SAID SLOT IS ALIGNED WITH THE DRAG BAR TO RECEIVE A SELECTED TOOL FROM THE TOOL SLIDE AND A POSITION IN WHICH IT SUPPORTS THE SELECTED TOOL BETWEEN THE PRESS COLUMNS. 